Fiori di Ricami Nuovamente Posti in Luce, page 18 (recto) 1591

This is an example of a design for needlework, printed from a woodblock in Italy around 1600, by Matteo Florimi. The image is printed on paper, which would have been relatively inexpensive at the time, and therefore accessible. The repeating, geometric design has a stark, graphic quality, dictated by the process of woodblock printing. The artist would have painstakingly carved the image into a block of wood, leaving the lines in relief. This was then inked and pressed onto the paper. Look closely, and you can see slight imperfections in the print. The image is both complex and carefully composed, but the technique of production leaves its trace. This image provides insight into the wider social context of craft and labor. Design books like this allowed the spread of patterns, enabling needleworkers to reproduce the designs in their own homes. It was a form of proto-industrialization, where the division of labor between design and execution was made explicit, and a craft, practiced by skilled artisans, could be translated into a product, and marketed to a wider audience.